Though fun in its own right, this one flies in the shadow of another great Zing product.
Sky Gliderz have a lot of similarities to the Sky Ripperz, most notably the Rip Zip Launcher as their primary launch mechanism. This simple, bungee-type launch system attached to a plastic handle is the secret sauce behind Sky Gliderz. It gives them a lot of the same performance potential of the Sky Ripperz but with more emphasis on aerial acrobatics and less distance.
At roughly for a launcher and two, soft-foam gliders, the Sky Gliderz are roughly the same price as a three-pack of Sky Ripperz, making them a slightly less compelling value proposition, particularly given that the Sky Gliderz are prone to getting stuck in trees. But more on that, in a moment. Sky Gliderz planes are identical except for color (one red and one green). They are made from a soft foam-type material with a plastic spine in each of their wings to allow some adjustment in flight characteristics. The whistle is located near the nose of each glider and provides an audible cue to track the glider’s flight path. The Sky Gliderz are recommended for children 8 years of age, and older.
The Sky Gliderz were tested in both a relatively treeless local park and on a 1-acre suburban backyard. At the park, the Sky Gliderz exhibited all manner of looping, curving, arcing, high-flying fun that we expected, though with wildly inconsistent flights from shot-to-shot. Some of the launches went straight into the ground, some went into high-flying loops, some went sideways, and some went into a nearly-straight spiral. As printed right on the Gliderz themselves, we did find that bending the wings affected trajectories, though we were unable to get consistent results regardless of what we tried in regard to launch technique or wing adjustment. Not that this diminished the fun that much, as each shot felt new, with no real way of knowing what kind of flight path to expect. But that inconsistency also became a problem.
In our backyard testing scenario, the Sky Gliderz exhibited the same spontaneous fun that we saw at the park, but the unpredictability of the launches was much more problematic. We found that the Sky Gliderz often flew into trees and did not come down in this situation. The gliders themselves are extremely lightweight, and with such a wide wingspan, they easily get caught between branches. Fortunately, with our Sky Ripperz also on-hand, we had a means of knocking the gliders free with a few, well-placed shots (the Ripperz are super-accurate, and are both narrower and more weighted at one end than the Gliderz, making them less likely to get caught in foliage). This became tedious and eventually even the Ripperz got caught in the trees.
In only a few hours of playing, we ended up with no less than three Sky Ripperz and two Sky Gliderz all caught roughly 30-12.2 m up in trees, with no easy way to get them down. Fun time was over.
After much fiddling with our wings, we were finally able to launch with one of the Sky Gliderz. It reached an amazing 62.5 m.
Fortunately, before our product samples became tree decorations, we were able get a handful of test results that were rather impressive. After much fiddling with the wings, we were able to blast out a launch with one of our Sky Gliderz that reached an incredible 62.5 m-a full 25.9 m longer than advertised! We were not trying to fly these gliders far, but were more interested in acrobatics and a long hang-time of 21.23 seconds. Although it may seem like a lot, the fact that something can be in the air for this long without any parachutes or similar apparatus is truly amazing!
The Sky Gliderz can be a mixed bag for us. You will be amazed at what these tiny guys can do in a Zing product. They are a lot of fun when you have the right environment. And while their unpredictable flight characteristics can be somewhat amusing, initially, you will quickly find yourself running all over the place in futile attempts to catch them. And if youre anywhere near a tree, forget it you will almost surely lose one or both Gliderz, if you play long enough. So, to make the Sky Gliderz more compelling, we would consider adding a more heavily-weighted nose structure. Safety is an important concern. However, the Sky Ripperz have thicker foam tips, so why not the Sky Gliderz. This might reduce the Sky Gliderz insane aerobatics. If thats the case, then make the wings such that they could be bent or angled more permanently, to give the user more control of flight. Mounting a camera to your nose is another option. This works well with model rockets. Although it would be more expensive, this would allow for deeper immersion and new experiences with the product. And lastly, the Gliderz should be made available for purchase separate from the launcher, and perhaps in some kind of bulk-pack. It is too easy to lose them, and it doesn’t make sense to have to pay each time for the launcher.
We had a lot fun with the Sky Gliderz. If the Sky Ripperz weren’t around, we would recommend these little foam gliders with their amazing launcher. The Gliderz can be used in a different way than the Ripperz. They are designed to fly, soar, loop, and curve. And perhaps for families with younger children, the Gliderz would actually be the safer, and more interesting choice. The Sky Gliderz are a disappointment after you have tried the Sky Ripperz and their insanely accurate, long-distance shots. And thats the rub the Sky Gliderz are a very good product in their own right. But the Sky Ripperz are a great product, and the one wed want to play with most often.
